Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Wrap Up Pre-Season Testing with Positive Results

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team wrap up pre season testing ahead of the first round at Qatar. 

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team were back on track in Qatar for a very special third and final day of MotoGP testing.

Both riders had a full schedule today, completing both a dry and a wet session. They ended the 2018 MotoGP pre-season testing on a positive note, finishing in second and fifth place respectively in today's and the combined timesheets, and in third and seventh position in the wet session.

Viñales also showed that hard work pays off. He started the session half an hour after his teammate, but went the extra mile to find a good set-up, ahead of the first round of the MotoGP season.

He completed 40 laps in total and made a big step in the final 40 minutes of the dry testing time. He wrapped up the third day of testing in fifth place, posting a best time of 1'54.471s, set on lap 38, 0.442s off the front.

Following the dry session, the riders were given the opportunity to test the Losail circuit in (artificial) wet conditions during the final hour.  Viñales secured seventh place in the wet session results, clocking a 2'21.302s.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in Qatar on March 15th for the MotoGP 2018 Line-up Presentation and to commence the 2018 season, with the Grand Prix of Qatar being held from March 16th - 18th.

Maverick Viñales

Position: 5th - Time: 1'54.471 - Laps: 40

"In the last 40 minutes I think we made a big step. I feel good on the bike, but not at 100% yet, so there's still room for improvement. Anyway, we did three days of hard work, and we got a bit lost along the way. During those moments I couldn't push and it shows we need to keep focused and pay attention when we make changes, because in the last 40 minutes it felt like a completely different bike. Like I said, we need to keep working. I think if I were to do a time attack right now, I could do a really good lap time. As soon as I got on the bike, after the changes, I felt comfortable and that I could keep a good rhythm - not as good as last year yet, but after today we came to some conclusions."

Massimo Meregalli

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director

"We worked really hard these last three days and it wasn't all smooth sailing. We encountered some difficulties along the way that took some time to fix, but in the end we managed to get a lot of testing done and find some solutions. We tried many things, some were good, some weren't, and we made an important step at the end of the dry session. We also had the opportunity to try the track in wet conditions. The most important thing is that the riders are feeling good on the bike and can carry a competitive and consistent pace, because the season will start in two weeks' time, which is something we are really looking forward to."

Report and images from Yamaha.